Chapter 12: The Arrest
Victor was arrested at 11:40 a.m. on a Tuesday.
Claire was sitting in Margaret Hale’s office when she received the call from Agent Reyes. She put the phone on speaker so Margaret could hear.
“We picked him up at a coffee shop near his hotel,” Reyes said. “He was trying to meet with someone we believe is connected to the shell company. He didn’t resist, but he did try to call his lawyer the entire ride to the field office.”
Claire stared out the window at the gray Boston sky.
“Is he being charged?” she asked.
“Not yet,” Reyes replied. “But we have enough to hold him for questioning. The evidence you provided, combined with what Olivia Marsh turned over last night, is substantial. We’re going to need you to come in for a formal statement soon.”
“I’ll be there,” Claire said.
After the call ended, Margaret leaned back in her chair.
“This is moving faster than I expected,” she said. “Victor’s lawyer is already trying to negotiate a deal. He’s offering to cooperate in exchange for reduced charges.”
Claire was quiet for a moment.
“Let him try,” she said finally. “But I want it on record that I’m not interested in protecting him. Not anymore.”
Margaret studied her. “You’ve been remarkably calm through all of this. Most clients in your position are either falling apart or consumed by rage. You’re… different.”
Claire gave a small, tired smile.
“I spent six months being angry,” she said. “I used that anger to gather every piece of evidence I could find. Now that it’s done, I just feel tired. I want this to be over so I can start figuring out who I am without him.”
Margaret nodded. “It will be over soon. One way or another.”
Claire stood up and put on her coat.
“I need to go home,” she said. “I want to be alone when I hear the rest.”
As she drove back to the house, Claire kept the radio off. She didn’t want to hear any news reports. She didn’t want to see Victor’s face on television.
She had already seen enough of him.
When she arrived home, she parked in the driveway and sat in the car for several minutes, staring at the house she had fought so hard to keep. Snow was falling again, soft and steady.
Inside, the rooms were quiet.
Claire made herself a cup of tea and sat at the kitchen table. She didn’t turn on the television. She didn’t check her phone.
She simply waited.
At 2:17 p.m., Margaret sent her a message.
Victor has been formally detained. The charges are expected to include wire fraud, money laundering, and forgery. His lawyer is already pushing for bail.
Claire read the message twice.
Then she put the phone down and closed her eyes.
It was finally happening.
May you like
Everything she had prepared for was coming true.
And yet, sitting alone in the quiet house, she didn’t feel the satisfaction she had expected. She only felt the heavy, complicated weight of an ending.
